Reunion (episode)
Captain Picard is selected to arbitrate the selection of a new Chancellor for the Klingon Empire and, in doing so, find out who dishonorably murdered the old Chancellor. Also involved is Ambassador K'Ehleyr, who has a surprise for Worf: their son. Summary While investigating a radiation anomaly in the Gamma Arigulon system, the Enterprise is approached by a Klingon starship of the . When Picard hails the ship, he is answered by Ambassador K'Ehleyr. Worf acknowledges her when she greets him. She asks to come aboard to talk about an "urgent matter". Picard assigns Worf to greet her, and he does so even though he is reluctant due to his discommendation with the Klingon Empire. In the transporter room, Worf is surprised to learn that two will be beamed aboard. He is further surprised when he sees the second person beaming on board with K'Ehleyr: a child. K'Ehleyr leaves her son, Alexander, in the ship's school to play with the ship's children. She is nervous because he has not had much contact yet with other children. She knows about Worf's discommendation, and is somewhat disheartened by his attitude. Worf doesn't know what to say to Alexander yet, and shies away from K'Ehleyr at this point. K'Ehleyr reveals that the Klingon Empire is indeed near civil war. Chancellor K'mpec is near death, and two factions are challenging for leadership. If it is not handled correctly, the resultant civil war will eventually drag in the Federation. Picard agrees to meet with K'mpec on board his battle cruiser. K'mpec reveals to Picard that he knows he has been poisoned, and is certain one of the two challengers to his throne is behind it. K'mpec insists on appointing Picard as the Arbiter of Succession, who must decide, among two candidates, who will rule the Empire next. The two candidates are Gowron, a relative neophyte in political affairs, and Duras, who once before attempted to defame Lt. Worf's family honor by accusing his father, Mogh, of collaborating with Romulans. K'mpec reasoned that only an outsider could perform the task of the Arbiter impartially, and at the same time will be able to investigate which one killed him. He did not want the man that killed him with dishonor to lead the Empire. K'mpec dies shortly after the meeting. Worf finally meets with Alexander, and is troubled that the two-year-old child shows no interest in becoming a warrior – likely the influence of his non-traditional mother. He speaks about this to K'Ehleyr. She explains that she didn't reveal Alexander's existence because she knew Worf would have insisted that he take the oath of marriage with her. Worf has always wanted to marry K'Ehleyr, but cannot acknowledge that Alexander is his son, as to do so would confer the dishonor Worf bears upon his discommendation onto Alexander and his children, should he have any. K'Ehleyr expresses disbelief that Worf would agree to his dishonor so easily after challenging the accusations. Duras and Gowron arrive in their Birds-of-Prey, the ''Vorn'' and the ''Buruk''. Duras expresses his disapproval of K'mpec's choice of Picard as Arbiter. Picard ignores this slight, and announces that the Sonchi ceremony, which consists of poking K'mpec's corpse with painstiks to confirm that he is truly dead, will take place in one hour. Duras bristles at the appearance of Worf on the Bridge and warns Picard to keep Worf far from the proceedings. Privately, Picard sympathizes with Worf in his discomfort with Duras. Worf says that Duras should not lead the Council, as he is a traitor for what his father, Ja'rod, did. Picard has a Human sensibility about this, however, as he says he cannot blame the child for what the father has done. Duras' true crime was laying the blame for the betrayal at Worf's father's feet. Worf did choose to accept the consequences, however. Picard reveals to Worf that K'mpec asked Picard to investigate who killed him. Worf knows little of Gowron, but insists that Duras' heart is not Klingon. At the Sonchi ceremony aboard K'mpec's ship, Gowron and Duras arrive with their aides. K'ehleyr explains to Picard that the ceremony is a formality and very brief. Each participant says "Qab jIH nagil," ("Face me if you dare") and drives his painstik into the body (some with more vehemence than others); finally K'Ehleyr steps in front of the corpse and says, "Sonchi" ("He is dead"). Duras urges Picard to complete the Rite of Succession as it is obvious he and Gowron are the two challengers, but Picard insists he will proceed according to Klingon law. While they argue about it, a bomb explodes. K'Ehleyr reports to Worf on the explosion and realizes Worf is genuinely concerned about her safety. Worf claims it is his duty, but K'Ehleyr remembers Worf saying he'll never be complete without her. She realizes now that the feeling is mutual. Taking her face in his hand, Worf mutters "jIH dok!" ("My blood!") K'Ehleyr replies with the same gesture, and says "Maj dok..." ("Our blood"). This is the beginning of the marriage oath; if they were to kiss and say "N'Gos tlhogh cha!" ("Our marriage is done!") they would be wed, but Worf stops, saying he does not wish either K'Ehleyr or Alexander to suffer his humiliation. K'Ehleyr suggests that Worf be Alexander's friend, if not his father. Worf smiles and nods. Dr. Crusher is still studying the remains of the men who were killed; Picard needs a way to stretch out the proceedings in order that Dr. Crusher might complete her work. K'Ehleyr suggests the ja'chuq, a ceremonial recitation of honors and accomplishments which takes hours, if not days, to perform correctly. K'Ehleyr asks Picard about Worf's discommendation; Picard says he cannot discuss it. K'ehleyr prepares to do some digging of her own. Duras is impatient to set a new Council leader (preferably himself) so he can kill Gowron; the two bicker rather childishly until Picard silences them with a sharp "mev yap!" ("Enough!"). He announces that they will begin the ja'chuq. Over their protests, he reminds them that it is his prerogative as Arbiter to choose any style he likes for the Rite of Succession, and he wants to observe ancient tradition. Meanwhile, Alexander is visiting Worf, who introduces him to the proper way to hold a traditional bat'leth. K'Ehleyr is approached by Gowron and asked if she can speed up the ja'chuq. He offers her a seat on the Council, and mentions opportunities that may show themselves... only, K'Ehleyr notes, if Gowron is elected. She sneeringly compares Gowron's posturing to that of a Ferengi. Gowron makes a seemingly veiled threat, mentioning K'mpec, but K'Ehleyr says "K'mpec was old and weak – I am not!" Data and Geordi La Forge have analyzed the bomb and found that while the explosive was a common substance, its molecular decay detonator is used only by Romulans. Worf and K'Ehleyr suggest that it was an inside job. At this point, both challengers are suspect. At Picard's request, Worf will be at the next meeting with the two candidates; Picard hopes they might slip up and reveal a sensitive item of interest. Meanwhile, K'Ehleyr begins her independent research into the last mission to Qo'noS, which saw Worf's discommendation. Gowron announces the conclusion of his part of the ja'chuq with a hearty "jIH DOQ... batlh!" ("I claim the honor!") and bows to Picard. Picard calls a recess while the petitions of both are reviewed; Gowron accepts this and stands up, perhaps to return to his ship, but Picard wants to discuss the findings of the bomb investigation. He calls in Worf to reveal the Enterprise's results. As expected his presence rattles both Duras and Gowron; with great relish at his effect on them, Worf reads out the results as reported by La Forge and Data. At the mention of the molecular-decay detonator, Duras jumps up and claims he needs to verify that, and Gowron says he will do the same, with a glare of absolute death at Duras. K'Ehleyr's investigations proceed into ever more dangerous territory as she hacks into the Klingon Imperial information network, using her own information to login and requesting High Council access. When she hits a block on her search about Khitomer, she goes to Duras' records to try to find a clue. One of Duras' aides shows Duras a message from Qo'noS about K'Ehleyr's attempts to get more information about him and his connection to Khitomer. Duras slips off to K'Ehleyr's quarters. A brief, heated discussion follows; K'Ehleyr has discovered that the evidence about the Khitomer massacre was altered to show Mogh, Worf's father, as the traitor, when it was really Ja'rod. ( ) Meanwhile, Dr. Crusher has discovered that the bomb had been implanted in the forearm of one of Duras' aides. Worf, having shown Alexander a bit more about Klingon fighting techniques, brings him back to K'Ehleyr's quarters only to find blood everywhere and K'Ehleyr herself sprawled on an ottoman. Worf signals a medical emergency and cradles K'Ehleyr; He says "Gowron?", but she shakes her head; he says "Duras", she nods and whispers "Alexander!" She reaches for the child's hand, puts it over Worf's, covers it with her own and dies. Worf howls as part of the death ritual; Alexander runs away. "You have never seen death," Worf says; Alexander shakes his head, and Worf points to K'Ehleyr's body and says "Then look... and always remember." Dr. Crusher and a male nurse come in and scan K'Ehleyr's body; Dr. Crusher begins to ask when Worf found K'Ehleyr, but he is already out the door, having instructed Alexander to stay with Crusher. In his quarters, Worf removes his sash and communicator and takes his bat'leth down from the wall; he's on a mission. Riker tries paging him, but the computer reveals that Worf has beamed onto the Vorn. Worf, with cold fury in his gait and eyes, stalks through the light onto the bridge of the Vorn; one of Duras's crew recognizes "He claims the right of vengeance!" Duras makes the ceremonial gesture of ostracism, but Worf coldly and deliberately states "K'Ehleyr... was my mate!" Startled, Duras commands one of his lieutenants to hand him his yan. Meanwhile, Riker and Data are on their way. A vicious fight takes place; Duras claims he is the only one who can prove Worf's innocence. If Worf kills Duras, he will be a traitor forever. Worf is not dissuaded, and butts Duras on the chin with the flat edge of his bat'leth, knocking him over. Just as Riker and Data burst in, Worf plunges an end of his bat'leth into Duras' chest for the fatal blow. Worf acted properly and legally under Klingon law, but Picard tells Worf that while the Klingons do indeed consider the matter closed, he does not. He reminds Worf that when people sign on to Starfleet, they agree to abide by the laws of the Federation, including the one against murder, and if they can't abide by them then they should resign. Worf doesn't wish to resign, and Picard notes that Worf has been an exemplary officer to this point, and Picard is extremely disappointed in Worf. Picard notes a reprimand on Worf's service record, but sympathizes with Worf about K'Ehleyr's death. He asks Worf if it is time to come out with what really happened at Khitomer. Not yet, says Worf, but the day will come when he will tell all. Worf tells Alexander he will be sent to live with Worf's adoptive Human parents, Sergey and Helena Rozhenko, on Earth, where he will receive the family life Worf feels he cannot provide on the ship. He says "I miss her, too." Alexander asks, "Are you my father?" Worf says, "Yes. I am your father." The two hug, and the Enterprise moves on through infinity. Memorable Quotes "I want you to discover which one of them has killed me: Gowron or Duras. Yes. Duras. I thought you would find that interesting." "Interesting. You could say that since he tried to have me killed and conspired to strip Worf of his good name." "And I approved, all for the glory of the Empire. That should be my epitaph. Find the assassin. The Klingon who kills without showing his face has no honor. He must not lead the Empire. Such a man would be capable of anything … (laughs) even war with the Federation." "Very well. I accept." : - K'mpec and Jean-Luc Picard "I have been informed of your attempts to access restricted Council records!" "I've been investigating what happened at Khitomer. Not at all an easy task, considering that most of the records are sealed." "Worf's father was a traitor!" "No. The evidence was altered to make it appear that way. I found it interesting to read that your father was also at Khitomer, and you are the one who sealed the records." "You dare insult my father's name?!" "Don't play the wounded Klingon for me, Duras. You don't do it very well. What happened in that council chamber? How did you get Worf to take the blame for you?" "Do not pursue this matter further!" "The son betrays his people to the Romulans just as his father did, Duras." : - Duras and K'Ehleyr "Mr. Worf, the ''Enterprise crew currently includes representatives from thirteen planets. They each have their individual beliefs and values and I respect them all. But they have all chosen to serve Starfleet. If anyone cannot perform his or her duty because of the demands of their society, they should resign." : - '''Picard' reprimanding Worf Background Information *This episode marks the first appearances of Gowron (Robert O'Reilly) and Alexander Rozhenko (Jon Steuer) on the series and the deaths of K'Ehleyr (Suzie Plakson), Duras (Patrick Massett), and Chancellor K'mpec (Charles Cooper). *This is the first episode of Star Trek written by Brannon Braga. *This is the only episode in which Alexander Rozhenko is played by Jon Steuer. In all subsequent episodes of TNG, the young Alexander was played by Brian Bonsall. James Sloyan played a future version of him in , and Marc Worden played him in and . *This episode also marks the first appearance of the attack cruiser, the first Klingon vessel designed for any of the spin-off series. Earlier episodes reused footage or used models of the battle cruiser or the Klingon Bird-of-Prey built for the movies. *In , Ronald D. Moore would write , the episode in which Worf kills Gowron and Martok becomes Chancellor. *As of this episode, there are representatives from thirteen planets among the crew of the Enterprise. *In this episode, K'Ehleyr is offered a seat on the High Council; yet in and subsequent episodes, it is said that women may not serve on the Council. Concerning the place of women, Ronald D. Moore commented: :"I co-wrote both "Reunion" (in which K'Ehleyr was offered the Council seat) and (in which Grilka was told she could not serve on the Council because she's a woman). The reason for the change was: a) to service a plot element in "House of Quark"; and b) to differentiate the Klingons from the UFP and the Romulans. The idea was that the Klingons were a traditionally patriarchal society and that while many elements of that have disappeared over the years, the Council itself was still the province of male warriors. This is not an endorsement of that idea, but rather an attempt to make them *different* than us. For example, their government is not a democracy, but rather an oligarchy ruled by powerful Houses, with an Emperor as head of state and we certainly aren't promoting that either! It's an alien society with alien values and we shouldn't be able to identify with all aspects of their culture. That said, I've always tried to treat Klingon men and women with a great deal of respect and have never tried to show the female warriors of the Empire as any less worthy or respected than their male counterparts. No male Klingon would ever question for even a moment the notion of serving under a woman on a ship, or fighting with them at his side". Video and DVD releases *Original UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 41, . *UK re-release (three-episode tapes, Paramount Home Entertainment): Volume 4.3, . *As part of the TNG Season 4 DVD collection. Links and references Guest stars *Suzie Plakson as K'Ehleyr *Robert O'Reilly as Gowron *Patrick Massett as Duras *Charles Cooper as K'mpec Co-stars *Jon Steuer as Alexander *Michael Rider as a Security Guard *April Grace as Transporter Technician *Basil Wallace as Klingon Guard #1 *Mirron E. Willis as Klingon Guard #2 Uncredited co-stars *Tracee Lee Cocco as Jae *Michael Braveheart as Martinez References 2367; Arbiter of Succession; assassin; bat'leth; ''Buruk'', IKS; class-1 probe; epitaph; Ferengi; Gamma Arigulon system; House of Duras; ja'chuq; Klingon Bird-of-Prey; Klingon Empire; Klingon Imperial information net; ''LaSalle'', USS; mediator; molecular decay detonator; Pah doQ cha; painstik; politics; Rite of Succession; Romulan; Rozhenko, Helena; Rozhenko, Sergey; ''sonchi'' ceremony; Starbase 73; stasis unit; Supreme Commander; Tholians; Treaty of Alliance; triceron; [[Unnamed Vor'cha class starships#K'mpec's attack cruiser|unnamed Vor'cha-class attack cruiser]]; Veridium Six; ; ''Vorn'', IKS; yan |next= }} Category:TNG episodes de:Tödliche Nachfolge es:Reunion ja:TNG:勇者の名の下に nl:Reunion pl:Reunion